1. Field of Disclosure
The field of the disclosure relates to creating optical surfaces at end portions of optical fibers disposed in ferrules as part of fiber optic connector assemblies to establish fiber optic connections.
2. Background
Benefits of utilizing optical fiber include extremely wide bandwidth and low noise operation. Because of these advantages, optical fiber is increasingly being used for a variety of applications, including but not limited to broadband voice, video, and data transmission in communications networks. As a result, communications networks include a number of optical interconnection points in fiber optic equipment and between fiber optic cables in which optical fibers must be interconnected via fiber optic connections. To conveniently provide these fiber optic connections, fiber optic connectors are provided. A fiber optic connector includes a housing that provides internal components for receiving, supporting, protecting, and aligning one or more end portions of optical fibers exposed from a fiber optic cable(s) when mated with other fiber optic connectors or adapters provided in fiber optic equipment or fiber optic cables. Fiber optic connectors may be installed on fiber optic cables in the field. Alternatively, fiber optic cables may be “pre-connectorized” during the manufacturing of the fiber optic cables.
To receive, support, and position an optical fiber in a fiber optic connector, a ferrule is typically provided in the fiber optic connector. A ferrule is a component that receives, supports, and positions an optical fiber with respect to a housing of a fiber optic connector. Thus, when the housing of the fiber optic connector is mated with another fiber optic connector or adapter, the optical fiber in the ferrule is positioned in a known, fixed location about the housing of the fiber optic connector. Accordingly, an optical connection may be established when the optical fiber is aligned with another optical fiber provided in the other fiber optic connector or adapter to which it is mated. In some fiber optic connectors, a “pass-through” ferrule is provided that includes a front opening at an end face of the ferrule and a rear opening on each end of a bore. The bore allows an optical fiber to pass through the ferrule to extend beyond the end face of the ferrule. An optical surface of the optical fiber may then be formed a precise distance from the end face of the ferrule according to very tight dimensional standards to reduce signal attenuation. For example, the optical surface of the optical fiber and the end face of the ferrule may need to be disposed on a common geometric plane with a sub-micron height difference. Lasers may be used to cleave the optical fiber, but conventional lasers may not be able to cleave the optical fiber close enough to the ferrule without damaging the ferrule. As a result, mechanical polishing may still be necessary.
A time-consuming and labor-intensive process including mechanical cleaving and several mechanical polishing stages are currently utilized to form the optical surface of the optical fiber at a precise distance from the end face of the ferrule in order to satisfy dimensional standards. Mechanical cleaving typically initially forms the optical surface of the optical fiber within one-hundred fifty (150) microns of the end face of the ferrule. Next, course grit mechanical polishing brings the optical surface of the optical fiber near the end face of the ferrule, for example within fifteen (15) microns. Finally, fine grit mechanical polishing may be utilized to bring the optical surface within several microns of the end face of the ferrule.
A cost effective and high-quality approach is needed to form the optical surface of the optical fiber particularly close to the end face of the ferrule without damaging and/or marking the ferrule which avoids or reduces course grit polishing and minimizes fine grit polishing of the optical surface.